Scottish Executive

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24277 by Nicol Stephen on 10 April 2002, whether a decision has been taken on whether information on children educated in independent schools will be included in the Scottish Exchange for Educational Data.

Nicol Stephen: Following discussions between the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) and the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), a decision has been taken not to include children educated in independent schools in the September 2002 phase of the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project.

  Discussions will continue with SCIS on the participation of independent schools in future phases of the ScotXed project.

  For the September 2002 Scottish School Census, SEED will continue to collect statistical information about independent schools, through existing arrangements.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether information on children educated at home will be included in the Scottish Exchange for Educational Data.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) has no plans to collect information on children educated at home as part of the September 2002 phase of Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project.

  Consideration will be given as to whether any information on these children could be included in future phases of the ScotXed project.

  SEED will continue to collect statistical information on these children through existing arrangements.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to meet those representatives of the Fife Health Services Action Group that are resident in the Dunfermline West parliamentary constituency.

Malcolm Chisholm: I had a very positive meeting with Helen Eadie MSP, Scott Barrie MSP and several other people, including representatives from the Dunfermline West parliamentary constituency, on Monday 26 August.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there were for the post of Chair of Fife NHS Board.

Malcolm Chisholm: A total of 33 applications were received.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants were selected for interview for the post of Chair of Fife NHS Board and who each candidate was.

Malcolm Chisholm: Of the 33 applications received, nine candidates were interviewed.

  I am not in a position to disclose personal information about individual candidates.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the term of office for the current Chair of Fife NHS Board will officially come to an end.

Malcolm Chisholm: Ms Esther Roberton’s current term of appointment will end on 31 March 2004.

Health

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to expand the membership of the board of Fife NHS Board to include members of the general public in order to ensure and encourage a more reasoned approach to finding solutions to health care issues in Fife and to improve the public accountability of the board.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive publication , Rebuilding our National Health , dated May 2001, provides details of the membership, composition and role of NHS boards.

  NHS boards are required to focus clearly on people’s experience of their local NHS system, by having mechanisms in place to ensure that:

  there is effective liaison with patients and their representative groups;

  complaints are addressed appropriately;

  patient feedback is captured and acted upon, and

  the patient’s voice is heard.

NHS Staff

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines have been given to NHS boards and trusts regarding the employing of doctors, nurses and other health professionals from within the EU.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Doctors, nurses and other health professionals from within the EU are subject to the same employment checks as any other job applicant including registration status and occupational health requirements.

  Employers are responsible for ensuring that any job applicant has the necessary language and professional skills to carry out the duties of their employment. Guidance on this was issued by the Scottish Executive in HDL 2000(25).

NHS Staff

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any action has been taken to attract doctors, nurses or other health professionals from other member states within the EU to work in the NHS.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Working for Health -The Workforce Development Action Plan for NHSScotland , which was published on 1 August 2002, set out a number of immediate actions including the establishment of a task force on NHS Careers and Recruitment and Retention. This group will tackle immediate workforce issues, such as the recruitment of experienced health care teams from abroad to shorten waiting times and improve services in national priority areas.

National Lottery Funding

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s database of lottery awards in Scotland does not match the awards made to (a) the New Opportunities Fund in Scotland, (b) the Community Fund in Scotland, (c) the Scottish Arts Council, (d) the Heritage Fund and (f) Scottish Screen in 2001-02.

Dr Elaine Murray: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) database of lottery awards is based solely on information provided by the lottery distributing bodies. The lottery distributors send their updates to DCMS at varying frequencies. DCMS update their database within two working days of receiving valid data from distributors. Any differences in figures between the lottery distributors and the DCMS database should therefore only be due to time lags in DCMS receiving the information and updating their database.

  The latest figures show that over £1 billion of National Lottery funding has been awarded in Scotland.

Police

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) civilian employees and (b) serving police officers there were per capita in each of the last five years, broken down by rank and police force.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information, relating to the number of civilian employees and serving police officers in each of the last five years, is shown in the following tables.

  Total Civilian Employees Per 1,000 Population

  
 Force 1997
1998 1999
2000 2001
2002  Central
0.78  0.82
0.77 0.78
0.96 1.03
 Dumfries and Galloway
1.08 1.48
1.40 1.41
1.64 1.65
 Fife 0.70
0.71 0.76
0.77 0.85
0.90  Grampian
0.86 0.91
0.99 0.96
0.97 1.13
 Lothian and Borders
1.17 1.21
1.22 1.20
1.15 1.21
 Northern
1.15 1.19
1.22 1.29
1.26 1.29
 Strathclyde
0.84 0.86
0.88 0.90
0.93 0.95
 Tayside
1.09 1.14
1.18 1.22
1.28 1.37
 Total 0.93
0.97 0.99
1.00 1.03
1.08 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Quarterly Strength Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Employee figures for forces, which include traffic wardens, at 30 March in each year.

  2. Population as at 30 June in the previous year except that population for 30 June 2000 used in each of last two columns.

  Police Strength by Rank at 31 March 1997

  
 Force
Chief Officers Superintendents
Chief Inspectors
Inspectors Sergeants
Constables Total 
Number of Police Officers Total 
Number per 1,000 Population  Central
2 8
12 33
101 530
686 2.49
 Dumfries and Galloway
2 6
7 19
65 313
412 2.78
 Fife 3
9 11
41 111
656 831
2.38  Grampian
3 16
19 69
181 885
1,173 2.21
 Lothian and Borders
4 36
41 125
361 2,124
2,691 3.08
 Northern
2 8
12 27
108 492
649 2.32
 Strathclyde
8 114
110 357
980 5,662
7,231 3.18
 Tayside
3 14
14 51
165 869
1,116 2.83
 Total 27
211 226
722 2,072
11,531 14,789
2.88 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Annual Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Population as at 30 June 1996.

  2. Figures for chief officers include chief constables, deputy chief constables and assistant chief constables. Figures for Superintendents include chief Superintendents.

  Police Strength by Rank at 31 March 1998

  
 Force Chief 
Officers Superintendents
Chief Inspectors Inspectors
Sergeants Constables
Total Number of Police Officers
Total Number per 1,000 Population 
Central 2
10 7
34 103
547 703
2.55  Dumfries 
and Galloway 2
6 8
20 68
335 439
2.99  Fife
3 9
14 36
110 683
855 2.46
 Grampian
4 16
20 68
183 902
1,193 2.26
 Lothian and Borders
4 37
40 127
368 2,115
2,691 3.06
 Northern
2 7
13 26
108 501
657 2.35
 Strathclyde
8 118
102 374
975 5,722
7,299 3.21
 Tayside
3 14
13 53
163 897
1,143 2.92
 Total 28
217 217
738 2,078
11,702 14,980
2.92 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Annual Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Population as at 30 June 1997.

  2. Figures for chief officers include chief constables, deputy chief constables and assistant chief constables. Figures for Superintendents include chief Superintendents.

  Police Strength by Rank at 31 March 1999

  
 Force Chief 
Officers Superintendents
Chief Inspectors Inspectors
Sergeants Constables
Total Number of Police Officers
Total Number per 1,000 Population 
Central 2
9 9
34 101
564 719
2.61  Dumfries 
and Galloway 3
5 8
20 70
331 437
2.97  Fife
3 9
12 36
109 677
846 2.42
 Grampian
2 17
20 70
187 953
1,249 2.38
 Lothian and Borders
4 36
37 127
361 2,050
2,615 2.97
 Northern
2 8
13 31
107 499
660 2.37
 Strathclyde
8 105
103 373
974 5,572
7,135 3.14
 Tayside
3 14
12 59
157 904
1,149 2.95
 Total 27
203 214
750 2,066
11,550 14,810
2.89 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Annual Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Population as at 30 June 1998.

  2. Figures for chief officers include chief constables, deputy chief constables and assistant chief constables. Figures for Superintendents include chief Superintendents.

  Police Strength by Rank at 31 March 2000

  
 Force Chief 
Officers Superintendents
Chief Inspectors Inspectors
Sergeants Constables
Total Number of Police Officers
Total Number per 1,000 Population 
Central 2
8 10
36 100
565 721
2.59  Dumfries 
and Galloway 3
5 8
20 68
347 451
3.07  Fife
2 9
13 36
110 667
837 2.40
 Grampian
3 18
21 75
186 912
1,215 2.31
 Lothian and Borders
4 35
36 130
352 2,027
2,584 2.92
 Northern
2 7
14 32
110 488
653 2.34
 Strathclyde
8 102
98 373
960 5,560
7,101 3.13
 Tayside
3 15
16 56
159 888
1,137 2.93
 Total 27
199 216
758 2,045
11,454 14,699
2.87 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Annual Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Population as at 30 June 1999.

  2. Figures for chief officers include chief constables, deputy chief constables and assistant chief constables. Figures for Superintendents include chief Superintendents.

  Police Strength by Rank at 31 March 2001

  
 Force Chief 
Officers Superintendents
Chief Inspectors Inspectors
Sergeants Constables
Total Number of Police Officers
Total Number per 1,000 Population 
Central 2
9 11
37 111
563 733
2.64  Dumfries 
and Galloway 2
7 7
20 70
372 478
3.27  Fife
2 10
12 38
114 676
852 2.43
 Grampian
4 17
21 82
190 959
1,273 2.43
 Lothian and Borders
4 30
46 134
369 2,087
2,670 3.00
 Northern
2 7
14 35
113 497
668 2.40
 Strathclyde
7 99
94 380
971 5,767
7,318 3.23
 Tayside
2 16
16 56
156 911
1,157 3.00
 Total 25
195 221
782 2,094
11,832 15,149
2.96 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Annual Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Population as at 30 June 2000.

  2. Figures for chief officers include chief constables, deputy chief constables and assistant chief constables. Figures for Superintendents include chief Superintendents.

  Police Strength by Rank at 31 March 2002

  
 Force Chief 
Officers Superintendents
Chief Inspectors Inspectors
Sergeants Constables
Total Number of Police Officers
Total Number per 1,000 Population 
Central 2
9 15
42 116
535 719
2.59  Dumfries 
and Galloway 2
7 7
23 73
370 482
3.30  Fife
5 14
14 37
123 719
912 2.61
 Grampian
3 18
20 87
202 928
1,258 2.41
 Lothian and Borders
4 32
44 142
369 2,109
2,700 3.03
 Northern
2 8
13 33
122 505
683 2.46
 Strathclyde
7 103
94 387
975 5,761
7,327 3.24
 Tayside
3 12
17 54
157 927
1,170 3.03
 Total 28
203 224
805 2,137
11,854 15,251
2.98 

  Source: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary: Annual Statistical Returns.

  Notes:

  1. Population as at 30 June 2000.

  2. Figures for chief officers include chief constables, deputy chief constables and assistant chief constables. Figures for Superintendents include chief Superintendents.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Visits

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Presiding Officer how many members of the public have visited the Parliament in each year since May 1999.

Sir David Steel: The total from May 1999 to July 31 2002 is 292,218. This breaks down by year and category as:

  Notes:

  1. From 9 August 1999; records were not kept before this date.

  2. Opened 9 October 2000.